Coaching Advice for middle school

Gentlemen, I wanted to put together a bull pen routine for my middle school pitchers, does anyone have any ideas as to how many pitches or how many days they should throw?

One other question, I do everyday's throughout the tryout and preseason workouts, you know short hops, backhands, pickups, hands and feet drills, things of this nature. The question is should I continue this process as the season is in session? Sometimes I feel this is getting away from valuable practice time, but I think these things need to be perfected by the middle school aged kid.

Thanks in advance.

 

I can't answer your bullpen schedule, however, IMO, you should definitely keep working those kids on hands and feet and fundamentals. You would be surprised how many teenage kids weren't taught the proper way before they got to high school. It's astonishing really. IMO, a middle school coach is their to put the right kids on the field and try to win ball games, yes, but more importantly, prepare those kids for high school ball, so when they get there, they can focus more on a W, once they've gotten the fundamentals down pat. But JMO.

 

Break up you practice

into segments of instruction.

Properly stretch to begin practice and then throwing and catching practice.

Posistion play instruction. infeilders working on fielding fundementals / outfielders working on fielding fundementals / catchers working on catching fundementals etc.

Team instruction. cut plays / bunt defense / 1st and 3rd defense / pfp / defensive situations etc.

Individual instruction. This is built in time each day when you set aside time to work with certain players each day on parts of the game they need extra instruction in.

Hitting / Baserunning / Offensive Bunt Game / Offensive Situations
You can work on all four of these areas while you are hitting either live bp or L screen bp.

If time is an issue then rotate Team / Posistion / Hitting / Individual

The most important thing you can do is teach the game and not get caught up in Team practice so much that the others parts of the game get lost in the shuffle.

Have a schedule and stick to it. Set time limits for each phase and make sure you cover all the areas on a routine basis.

With middle school aged kids it would not be a bad idea to have all of them work in the outfield and infield when doing drills and working on fundementals. Good luck

 

Great advice coach27 I appreciate it. I am very structured when it comes to skill develpoment, I always have a plan. I was wondering about the pens though. Do you have a recommended amount of pitches, or sequences? Any help would be great. I am a one man coach, no one at the school wants to help, so I can't be at all places at once, I just have to teach my managers to monitor and give me feedback.

 

agree to all said....

little bit of all is better than alot of one! It's in my book!

 

Coach

Use pens as a way to teach basic pitching mechanics and work on them. I would have them throw around 40 pitches making sure they focused on their mechanics with the goal being throwing strikes and hitting their spots. I would also use pens as a way to do the same thing as far as teaching with the catchers.

4 seam fastball
low and away
up and in
up and away
low and in

2 seam fastball
low and away
up and in
up and away
low and in

change up
low and away
low and in

have them throw to each location and around 40 pitches is usually good. They can finish off with an imaginary batter. Its important that you also work with your catchers teaching them how to catch bull pens , setting up properly etc.

When I say low and away etc I mean low and away to the mitt. Teach the catchers how to properly set up and teach the pitchers they are not throwing to the plate or the batter they are throwing to the target the catcher has given them. Its important to teach your catchers where to set up and how to set up. You would be surprised how many catchers set up in the same locaton regardless of where the pitch is supposed to be thrown. Especially catchers that have never been properly taught.

Never send these young pitchers and catchers to the pen to get some work in without proper coaching and instruction. This is the time you can spend teaching both posistions and they will learn alot if you make this a learning experience instead of just a time to "throw pens."

You can structure your practice where the other players are conditioning while the pitchers and catchers are working. Or you can have them come early or stay late etc. If you dont have another coach then you already know you have to be creative in how you handle it. Good luck coach and thanks for what you are doing for these young players.